Packaging for perishable product

ABSTRACT

A product packaging device including a visual inspection window and/or olfactory inspection ports. The device may include including a tray slidably received in a container and movable into and out of a fully inserted position in the container. The device may also include a cover foldable over the visual inspection window and/or the olfactory inspection ports.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This non-provisional patent application claims the benefit of the filingdate of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/422,195 filedNov. 15, 2016.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND Field

This application relates generally to packaging for perishable products.

Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR1.97 and 1.98

It is known to enclose perishable products, such as plant products, inpackaging for shipping, storage, and display. It is also known for suchpackaging to be configured and constructed in such a way as to preventor limit moisture, air, and/or light intrusion, to slow decay orotherwise preserve the quality of the enclosed product. Problematically,materials and structures that prevent or limit air and light intrusiontend to prevent or limit olfactory and/or visual inspection of theenclosed product.

SUMMARY

A product packaging device is provided, which comprises a container, atray slidably receivable in the container and movable into and out of afully inserted position in the container, a visual inspection windowincluded in the container, and an olfactory inspection port included inthe container.

In addition, or alternatively, a product packaging device is provided,which comprises a carton, a visual inspection window comprising a windowopening formed in the carton, and a cover carried by the carton andfoldable into a closed position over the window.

In addition, or alternatively, a product packaging device is provided,which comprises a carton, an olfactory inspection port formed in thecarton, and a cover carried by the carton and foldable into a closedposition over the port.

DRAWING DESCRIPTIONS

These and other features and advantages will become apparent to thoseskilled in the art in connection with the following detailed descriptionand drawings of one or more embodiments of the invention, in which:

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a packaging device for perishableproducts, with a cover of the device shown folded into a closed positioncovering a visual inspection window and olfactory inspection ports ofthe device;

FIG. 2 is a top-front perspective view of the packaging device of FIG.1, with the cover shown unfolded from its closed position, uncoveringthe visual inspection window and olfactory inspection ports;

FIG. 3 is a top perspective view of the packaging device of FIG. 1, withthe cover shown unfolded from its closed position as in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a top-end perspective view of the packaging device of FIG. 1,with the cover shown unfolded from its closed position, and with endflaps of a container portion of the device unfolded from respectiveclosed positions to reveal a product tray portion of the device in afully inserted position within the container;

FIG. 5 is a top perspective view of the packaging device of FIG. 1, withthe cover shown unfolded from its closed position, and with the trayshown in out of its fully inserted position, but still partiallyinserted in the container;

FIG. 6 is a top-end view of the tray of the packaging device of FIG. 1,shown removed from the container;

FIG. 7 is a top-side perspective view of the container of the packagingdevice of FIG. 1, shown with the cover unfolded from its closed positionand end flaps at both ends of the container, shown unfolded fromrespective closed positions;

FIG. 8 is a top view of the blank from which the tray of the packagingdevice of FIG. 1 is folded;

FIG. 9 is a magnified cross-sectional view taken along line 9-9 of FIG.2; and

FIG. 10 is a magnified cross-sectional view taken along line 10-10 ofFIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A packaging device for perishable products such as plant matter and/orplant matter concentrates, is generally shown at 10 in the drawings. Thedevice 10 may comprise a container 12 such as, for example, a cartonfoldable from a blank comprising cardboard or other suitable material.As shown in FIGS. 4-6 and 8, the device 10 may also comprise a tray 14slidably receivable in the container 12. The tray 14 may be foldablefrom a blank, as shown in FIG. 8, which may comprise cardboard or othersuitable material.

The tray 14 may be movable into and out of a fully inserted position,shown in FIG. 4, in which plant product carried in the tray 14 isenclosed within the container 12. When the tray 14 is out of its fullyinserted position, as shown in FIG. 5, the plant product is accessibleand removable from the tray 14.

As shown in FIGS. 2-5 and 7, the device 10 may also comprise a visualinspection window 16 in a top wall 18 of the container 12 in a positionto allow visual inspection of plant product carried in the tray 14. Theinspection window 16 may include a window opening 20 formed in the topwall 18 of the container 12 and a transparent panel 22 or pane that iscarried by the top wall 18 of the container 12 and extends across andcloses the window opening 20. The transparent panel 22 may comprise anyone or more of a number of suitable materials to include, for example,low-density polyethylene (LDPE). An outer margin of the panel 22 may beadhered to an inner surface of the top wall 18 of the container 12around the window opening 20, using any suitable plastic adhesive.

As shown in FIGS. 2-5, 7 and 9, the device 10 may also comprise one ormore olfactory inspection ports 24. The olfactory inspection ports 24may be formed in the top wall 18 of the container 12 in a position toallow olfactory inspection of plant product carried in the tray 14.

As shown in FIGS. 1-5 and 7, the device 10 may further comprise a cover26 that is foldable into a closed position over the inspection window 16to block light from passing through the inspection window 16 into thetray 14, thus protecting the enclosed plant product from light duringstorage and transit. The cover 26 is unfolded out of the closed positionto allow for visual inspection of the enclosed plant product through theinspection window 16.

As shown in FIGS. 1-5 and 7, the olfactory inspection ports 24 may belocated in respective position where the cover 26, when in the closedposition, also covers the olfactory inspection ports 24 to reduce theexposure of enclosed plant product to ambient air.

As shown in FIGS. 2-5, 7 and 9, the device 10 may include olfactory portplugs 28 carried by the cover 26 in respective positions where they willbe received in the olfactory inspection ports 24 when the cover 26 is inits closed position. The olfactory port plugs 28 may be frustoconical inshape and may comprise any suitable material such as, for example,plastic and/or silicone elastomer, and may be secured to an insidesurface of the cover 26 by any suitable adhesive 29 such as, forexample, packaging glue.

As shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 5, the device 10 may also include a coverclosure 30 configured and positioned to releasably fasten the cover 26in its closed position. The cover closure 30 may be released to allowthe cover 26 to be opened, and then re-fastened once the cover 26 hasbeen returned to its closed position. The cover closure 30 may compriseany one of a number of suitable releasable closures known in thepackaging art to include, for example, and as shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and5, hook and pile fabric panels applied to respective opposing surfacesof the cover 26 and container 12 such as an inside surface 32 of thecover 26 and a corresponding portion 34 of the top wall 18 of thecontainer 12. Hook and pile fabric panels may also be applied to aninside flap surface 36 of the cover 26 and a corresponding portion 38 ofa side surface of the container 12 as shown in FIGS. 2-5. As best shownin FIG. 10, the hook and pile fabric panels may be adhered to theirrespective surfaces using any suitable adhesive 39.

As shown in FIGS. 1-5 and 7, the device 10 may also include containerend closures 40 configured and positioned to releasably secure the tray14 in its fully inserted position. One of the container end closures 40may be opened to allow the tray 14 to be slid out of its fully insertedposition, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, and then closed once the tray 14has been returned to its fully inserted position. The container endclosures 40 may comprise any one of a number of suitable releasableclosure configurations known in the packaging art to include, forexample, and as best shown in FIGS. 4 and 7, box closure flaps 42, 44comprising two opposite end flaps 42 and a closure flap 44 having aninsert tab 48 along a distal edge. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, eachcontainer end closure 40 may also include a piece of adhesive tape 50that may be applied across the closure flap 44 and an adjacent surface52 of the container 12 after the cover flap's insert tab 48 has beeninserted. Once applied, the adhesive tape piece 50 spans a seam formedbetween the closure flap 44 and the adjacent surface 52, into which thecover flap insert tab 48 is inserted.

This description, rather than describing limitations of an invention,only illustrates one embodiment of the invention recited in the claims.The language of this description is therefore exclusively descriptiveand is non-limiting.

Obviously, it's possible to modify this invention from what thedescription teaches. Within the scope of the claims, one may practicethe invention other than as described above.

What is claimed is:
 1. A product packaging device comprising: acontainer; a tray slidably receivable in the container and movable intoand out of a fully inserted position in the container; a visualinspection window included in the container; and an olfactory inspectionport included in the container.
 2. The device of claim 1 in whichproduct carried in the tray is enclosed within the container when thetray is in the fully inserted position.
 3. The device of claim 1 inwhich the product is accessible and removable from the tray when the tryis in the open position.
 4. The device of claim 1 in which the visualinspection window includes a window opening formed in a top wall of thecontainer in a position to allow visual inspection of product carried inthe tray.
 5. The device of claim 1 in which the visual inspection windowincludes a transparent panel carried by the container top wall in aposition extending across and closing the window opening.
 6. The deviceof claim 1 in which the olfactory inspection port is formed in a topwall of the container in a position to allow olfactory inspection ofproduct carried in the tray.
 7. The device of claim 1 further includinga cover foldable over at least one of the window or port.
 8. The deviceof claim 1 further including an olfactory port plug carried by the coverin a position where it will be received in the olfactory inspection portwhen the cover is in its closed position.
 9. A product packaging devicecomprising: a carton; a visual inspection window comprising a windowopening formed in the carton; and a cover carried by the carton andfoldable into a closed position over the window.
 10. The device of claim9 in which the visual inspection window includes a transparent panelcarried by the carton in a position extending across and closing thewindow opening.
 11. A product packaging device comprising: a carton; anolfactory inspection port formed in the carton; and a cover carried bythe carton and foldable into a closed position over the port.
 12. Thedevice of claim 11 further including an olfactory port plug carried bythe cover in a position where it will be received in the olfactoryinspection port when the cover is in its closed position